Change of Plans
by T.J.Lexx
Summary: Clark Luthor comes back to Clark Kent's dimension, only a few years in the past, determined to make sure Clark Kents never becomes the great man he is. He knows the destruction of one of his friends would make it so, but then things derail a little...
1. Chapter 1

"_You love me, don't you?"_

_"You know I do…"_

_"Then come with me. We can be happy there. I can make you happy there."_

_"But our friends, my family…"_

_"They're there, Chloe. Maybe a little different but I can make it work…"_

_Clark raised her hands in his and kissed them gently_, then looked up at her.

"_Everything will be perfect. _Just come with me_."_

He had time-jumped multiple times but dimension _and _time jumping gave him a jolt even his Kryptonian body felt. He sputtered and spit something dry from his mouth.

'Hay,' he realised.

Looking around, Clark Luthor saw wooden rafters above him, rusty tools around him and a bale of hay underneath him. He smiled. He remembered that the other one used to be a farm boy so he had to be _at least_ in the right area.

He got up and made his way towards the big red door through which the sun was shining annoying bright to his still-recuperating eyes. When he saw people, he sped to one side and made himself scarce, still peeking out.

He saw an older blonde man, putting supplies in a truck, seemingly nonplussed by the blur whizzing around him.

'_Jonathan Kent_,' he thought to himself, '_The adoptive father_.'

Then he saw an older woman come from the house, holding a cup of something hot. She kissed the older man and held the cup out away from her body.

'_Martha Kent, the adoptive mother_.'

As she did this, the blur around them stopped right by the cup, took it with a smile and drank.

Clark Luthor smiled darkly, "Hello, me."

It wasn't hard to follow Clark Kent to school; he just followed his blazed path through the cornfields of Kansas. Clark was actually surprised his other self never realised he had a super-speed tail but that was part of the reason he had chosen to come to this time.

He could have chosen to use BrainIAC simply to go to Clark Kent's dimension and fight him yet again but Kent had shown himself to be resourceful and Clark Luthor couldn't be sure he would win. By using BrainIAC to jump not only into Kent's dimension but to go back to a time where his counterpart was younger ad weaker, he basically guaranteed his victory.

That had been the extent of his plan until he remembered his father's words.

'_It never hurts, son, to do your research_.'

Lionel Luthor was a bastard but no one had ever accused him of being stupid.

He had forced BrainIAC to give him information of all of Clark Kent's closest associates before he left, if only so he wouldn't be at a total loss as to what was going on. It had paid off, though. Although all his close friends had done great deeds for him, Clark Luthor realised there was one without whom Clark Kent would never rise to become the man he knew was not to be toyed with. Thus, his plan became clearer and so simple: locate and kill the acolyte.

He peeked out from his shadowed spot next to a tree behind the Smallville High parking lot and almost gagged at the small-town, teenage scene of Americana before him. Clark had an arm around the waist of one exotic, brunette beauty, who leaned into him and smiled at his words. In front of them were an excitable-looking Black guy who Clark head-locked affectionately after a friendly jibe probably and a perky yet brainy-looking blonde who was obviously leading the conversation and looked at Kent like he hung the moon.

'_Lana Lang, Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan_,' Luthor checked off mentally.

The acolyte had been located. It was actually boring how easy that was; Kent's manciples literally just hung around him. Now just to terminate…

And this had to be handled carefully, nothing about the kill could lead back to him. It had to appear like an accident.

After two days of watching Clark's every move, Clark Luthor realised that, when at school, he often hung out with the Ross boy and the blonde in a room seemingly dedicated to the school's rag-tag newspaper as well as occurrences the blonde thought to be connected to Smallville's meteor showers. The brunette was there less often and more often at a coffee shop.

Luthor decided to go into this room and root around, to see if he could find out what the group would be up to, so as to plan his assassination.

Shedding his signature, suave black clothing, he donned a plain, blue short over jeans. Couldn't hurt to look the part.

He sped through the hallways and right into the room the blonde affectionately called 'The Torch' after the newspaper. Wasting no time, he scanned the walls, both the surface and with x-ray vision. He rifled through the drawers, finding nothing but school notices and obscure conspiracy theories.

He quelled his desire to rip that useless room to shreds and was just about to leave when the blonde rushed in, all out of breath.

"I'm going to put you on my Wall of Weird soon, you know," she said, giggling, "I just left you in Calculus. How did you get here before me?"

"I'm a man of many mysteries…Chloe."

As preoccupied as she was rifling through her even messier than normal drawers for the article on the under-funding of girls' sports as opposed to guys' sports and cheerleading at Smallville High that had to be approved by the principal before it could go to print (oh, the irony), she barely registered that Clark's voice sounded deeper now than it ever had and even the cadence of his speech was off.

"And you know how much I love a good mystery, Kent. Speaking of which, should I even ask if you finished that article I set you about the missing mascot costume?" Chloe asked, finally turning to him with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't have it. I'm sorry," Clark Luthor said, going for a simple answer.

Sighing, Chloe quipped, "I would have been more surprised if you actually did have it…"

Impulse striking, Clark stepped forward and ran his hand down Chloe's upper arm, murmuring, "I'll make it up to you, Chlo. I promise."

Stirred by the sincerity in his tone, Chloe dared a glance into his eyes. Clark Luthor smiled, kissed her on the temple and made his way out, leaving Chloe Sullivan with a very foggy head and no idea why she had come to the Torch in the first place.

As he rounded the corner, he bumped right into Lana, who, laughing, told him to watch where he was going. He chuckled back, and right when he was resuming his trek, she grabbed his arm and asked him whether he was still going to help her tonight.

Clark Luthor's mind went to some very dark, perverted places at the question but he just pasted on Kent's signature confused expression and went, "Huh?"

Deflating slightly, Lana replied, "The benefit for the children's home. At the Talon this weekend. I have to mentor a study group and I don't have the time. Remember you promised you'd help me decorate?"

"Oh yeah of course, "Luthor said quickly, smiling.

Using the same arm she was still holding onto, Clark pulled Lana in to him, capturing her lips with his own. He poured as much passion into that one kiss as he possibly could and then pulled back, nibbling at her ear.

"Beautiful, intelligent and kind, it's no wonder he loves you…" Clark whispered.

"Wha-," Lana started, eyes still closed.

"So those are your plans this weekend. Just benefit stuff?"

"Well, you know the football team is planning a kegger in the woods behind Francis Farms. I might stop by," she said breathily, still wrapped up in him.

Smiling like a shark, Clark said, "Cool," and sped away, leaving a very dazed Lana Lang.

A lot of accidents could happen in the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

After his run-ins with Chloe and Lana, Clark Luthor decided not to take any more chances and hung back, not interacting with any of the group. He kept up his surveillance, though, and he was pleased with what he saw.

Clark Kent was not as perfect as everyone thought he was. His merry band of friends had their issues, too. He had been burning to find out what about Kent made people so loyal after his Tess betrayed him for Kent.

Clark and Lana had a very strong connection but she knew he was keeping secrets from her and it was undermining their relationship. Pete and Clark were thick as thieves but Clark Luthor didn't miss the flash of jealousy that crossed Pete's face every time Chloe smiled at Clark. Chloe was devoted to Clark to a fault but having to watch him with Lana and not being able to have him the way she wanted was breaking her heart. Chloe was not merely in the throes of an adolescent crush; she was in unrequited love with the farm boy.

In any other situation, he would have gone back home, certain they would all self-destruct, but the story had already played out and that was not how it ended.

But being privy to these inner dynamics had made it easier to make his plans.

Well…

His plan had always been clear: kill the one who would derail Clark Kent. But now, he was feeling more theatrical. Clark Kent's life was an undercover soap opera. He just wanted to make sure the finale did it justice.

It was Friday and Clark Kent was off canoodling with Lana somewhere, leaving Pete and Chloe alone at their table in the cafeteria. Clark Luthor had to set some things up so he took a chance and pulled Pete away.

"What's up, man?" Pete asked.

"You're coming to the kegger in Francis Woods, right?"

Pete raised an eyebrow and stepped back, "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend? OF COURSE I'M GOING! Tracy Kiebler's been giving me the eye all week and you know cheerleaders don't miss these. Are _you_ really going? You usually take antisocial to a whole new level."

"After Lana's benefit thing, I might stop by but, dude, forget Tracy Kiebler. I know another blonde who's beyond hot for you…one I think might be more up your alley."

With that, Clark Luthor looked pointedly back at the table they'd just left. Catching the motion and its meaning, Pete sobered up.

"Clark, that's not funny, man," he muttered, moving to walk away.

Putting a hand on his chest to stop him, Clark whispered, "Yeah, because I'm not joking. Seriously, Pete, I catch her looking at you sometimes…it's like she's seeing you for the first time…and likes what she sees."

Pete's expression went from one of frustrated sadness to one of hesitant hope and Clark almost preened with victory.

"Look, tonight, beer…music…dark woods. Perfect for you two to get some…quality time. You're already going. I'm gonna do my best friend duty and make sure she does, too."

"Really?" Pete asked and he looked so grateful Clark Luthor almost snorted.

Squeezing his shoulder, Luthor said, "Nothing would make me happier than making sure my closest friends get exactly what they deserve."

Clark watched Pete saunter back to the table, a smile splitting his face from ear to ear. He knew for sure that Kent would be with Lana on Friday evening. Now he ensured that Pete would be with Chloe and Pete damn sure wouldn't want company. He would try to pull Chloe away from the crowd, putting considerable distance between Clark, Lana and them. He couldn't kill her if they were all together and he would prefer if it looked like Clark Kent killed her.

Divide and conquer never got old.


End file.
